South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Chess: A Knight’s Tour
November 25, 2007
Mastering the Microscopic: Non-masters provide plenty of tasty treats for more experienced players to munch on. At the very bottom of the food chain, rank amateurs frequently serve their rooks and queens as appetizers before offering their kings on a “Today’s Special” one-move-mate platter. At the other end of the chain, talented and highly trained grandmasters, or GMs, make life much more difficult for their foes, providing only crumbs for sustenance. Mathematically speaking, the number and severity of chess errors is inversely proportional to the ratings of the players.
So, the chess gods (or natural selection) created Vladimir Kramnik, the former world champion who can sustain himself on microscopic advantages. Originally, wresting the crown from the all-mighty Garry Kasparov in a 15-game match without losing a game, Kramnik has proven to be nearly undefeatable. With next-to-nothing advantages, he can transform drawish games into victories. Just last week, he dominated the supergrandmaster Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow with this style of play.
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Kramnik is good with all his tools.